Orange Chocolate Gateau Food

FUDGY CHOCOLATE & ORANGE GATEAU

Steps:

• Making the sponges: Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. You'll need to make 3 rectangular chocolate sponges, a pair of round chocolate sponges, and 3 rectangular orange sponges to assemble this cake, so get everything organised first. Take a look at our Guide and the additional tips, in the Tip box below.
• For every rectangular sponge, you'll need to line the base of a 21 x 31cm tin (see Guide in the Tips below and Related guides box, right) neatly with baking parchment and grease the sides with a little flavourless oil.
• Start with the chocolate sponges. Put the butter in a small saucepan and heat gently until melted. Whisk together the egg yolks, milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Stir the flour and cocoa into the melted butter to make a paste. Transfer this butter-flour mixture to a big mixing bowl and whisk in the egg mixture a little at a time - this takes elbow grease to get it smooth, but keep going!
• Put the egg whites in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until stiff. Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is glossy and thick. Whisk a third of the meringue mixture into the chocolate mixture to loosen, then use a big metal spoon to gently fold the remaining meringue into the batter until just incorporated. Spread the batter evenly in the tin. Bake for 12 mins.
• Turn the cake out of the tin onto baking parchment very lightly dusted with icing sugar. Peel off the cake lining parchment and cover with a clean tea towel.
• Repeat steps 2 to 5 twice more. When the third rectangular sponge is baked, turn out as before but very loosely roll up the sponge like a Swiss roll, starting from one of the shortest sides, rolling up the tea towel inside.
• Make a final, fourth batch of the chocolate sponge recipe, but this time divide it between 2 x 20cm round, shallow sandwich tins. Bake for 10 mins, then turn out as instructed in step 5.
• Now make the orange sponges. Follow steps 3 to 6 again, but instead of milk, measure 75ml of the juice from the orange you've zested. If you don't have enough, make up the difference with milk. Whisk in the zest.
• Cool all the sponges.
• Making the frosting and icing: For the orange frosting, beat together the butter, icing sugar, orange zest and juice. Beat until just combined - the acidity of the orange may start to split the mixture if overbeaten. If it looks a little split though, don't worry - just stop mixing, it'll still taste lovely. Can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, but will need bringing back to room temp to use.
• When you are about to start assembling, put all the chocolate icing ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Gently melt together, stirring occasionally, until smooth and shiny.
• Assembling the cake: Cut each rectangular sponge into 2 long strips 7cm wide - trimming the long edges off will give you a neater finish (see step A in the Guide). It's important to be really accurate, so use a ruler. Trim the short edges to neaten. When you prepare the rolled-up sponges, just gently unroll first - don't worry if they crack a bit.
• Spread a thin layer of orange frosting over every strip, right to the edges. Gently peel the strips away from their paper - they will have stuck a bit. Start with 1 chocolate and 1 orange strip that was rolled up to cool, and lay one on top of the other - but don't line up the ends. Sit the second sponge about an inch down from one of the ends of the bottom sponge (it doesn't matter which is chocolate and which is orange). Start to roll up from this end - the bottom sponge should roll up and over neatly on top of the second, so the middle of the roll is nice and tight (see step A in the Guide).
• Keep adding extra sponges and rolling up to make a giant Swiss roll but as you roll, the ends of each different-coloured layer won't finish together (and this difference increases as the roll gets bigger). So you'll need to add chocolate and orange sponges individually from now on, rather than sandwiching together first, then adding to the rolled cake. Where each strip ends, you'll stick on a matching sponge - so a chocolate strip always continues with another chocolate, and the same with orange (see steps C & D in the Guide). This is the fiddly bit, as you'll find you'll need to partly stick on 1 coloured strip, then snuggle in the other coloured strip partway through. (This sounds more complicated than it is. When you start to do it, this will all make sense.) If you have a spare pair of hands in the house, this is the time to use them.
• It's up to you whether you find it easier to work as a roll (see step E in the Guide), or to turn the roll on one of its flat ends to work with (see step F in the Guide). I started rolling, and just as it got towards the ends and was getting quite heavy and bulky, I flipped it to continue. Have the round sponges to hand as you near the end, to check whether you've reached a roll of 20cm diameter plus. As soon as you do, stop - you may have 1 strip of 1 colour left over.
• Sit the rolled cake on one of its flat ends if you haven't already. Spread a good layer of orange frosting over the top, then press on 1 of the round chocolate sponges (see step G in the Guide) - line it up to the middle of the roll, rather than one of the edges of the roll. This means you'll have to take a sharp knife and trim the roll all around, until it is perfectly flush with the round sponge top. Flip the cake upside down onto your serving plate. Spread some more orange frosting over the new top, and add the second round sponge.
• Gradually spoon on, and spread over, the chocolate icing with a big palette knife. If should still be runny enough to gently run down the sides, giving you a shiny finish (see step H in the Guide).

ORANGE CHOCOLATE LOAF CAKE FROM FLORIDA

Steps:

• Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. You will need a loaf pan measuring about 8½ x 4½ x 2¾ inches, or one with about a 6‑cup capacity. Butter the pan and dust it all over lightly with fine, dry bread crumbs, shake out excess crumbs, and set the pan aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and sugar and set aside.
• Beat the cream and vanilla in the small bowl of an electric mixer until the cream holds a definite shape. On low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating only until the egg is incorporated after each addition. (The eggs will thin the cream slightly.)
• Transfer to the large bowl of the mixer and gradually, on low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients, scraping the bowl and beating only until smooth. Remove from the mixer and stir in the grated zest. That's all there is to it.
• Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 1 hour and 5 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip.
• For the glaze:
• As soon as the cake goes into the oven, mix the orange juice with the sugar and let it stand while the cake is baking.
• After you remove the cake from the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes. Then, a little at a time, brush the orange juice/sugar mixture all over the cake; encourage most of it to run down the sides between the cake and the pan, but thoroughly wet the top also. The cake will absorb it all.
• Let the cake stand in the pan until it is completely cool. Then cover the pan loosely with a piece of wax paper. Invert the cake into the palm of your hand-easy does it-remove the pan, cover the cake with a rack, and invert again, leaving the cake right side up.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the softened butter and 1 tablespoon of the cocoa to make a thick paste. Use this paste to paint the inside of the Bundt pan. Set aside.
• In an electric mixer, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup cocoa and mix until blended. Add the orange juice, mayonnaise, vinegar and vanilla and mix until just combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold in the orange zest. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• For the chocolate glaze: Mix the confectioners' sugar and cocoa together. Whisk in the orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a good consistency to drizzle. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans with butter.
• Dissolve the espresso powder in 1/4 cup hot water, then stir into the orange juice. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, sift the cake flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix on a low speed. In a second bowl, lightly whisk together the oil, buttermilk and eggs; slowly add to the flour mixture. Increase the mixer speed and whisk until fully incorporated. Fold in the orange juice-coffee mixture.
• Pour the batter into prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
• For the cookies-and-cream filling: Combine the heavy cream and white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the white chocolate mixture and whip for another minute. Lower the mixer speed, gradually add the confectioners' sugar and whip for another minute at high speed. Fold in the cookies. (Makes 2 cups.)
• For the buttercream: Place the egg whites, sugar and salt in a stand mixer bowl and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch and all the sugar has dissolved. Attach the bowl to the mixer and whisk until soft peaks form, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, then whisk in the vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment and continue mixing at low speed until the buttercream becomes smooth, another minute or two. (Makes 5 cups.)
• To assemble the cake: Place one cake layer on a cake board and pipe a border of buttercream along the circumference (to act as a pool for the filling). Fill the center with the cookies-and-cream filling. Top with the second cake layer and frost the entire cake with the buttercream.

CHOCOLATE-ORANGE LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Beat first 5 ingredients with mixer until blended.
• Cut each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Stack on plate, spreading 3/4 cup frosting between each layer. Frost top and side with remaining frosting.
• Microwave chocolate and COOL WHIP in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Cool 15 min.; spread over top of cake, allowing excess to drizzle down side. Keep refrigerated.

ORANGE CHOCOLATE GANACHE CAKE

Steps:

• Bake the Cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. You will need two 8" round cake pans, line w/ parchment paper at the bottom, greased and coated w/ very fine bread crumbs.
• Into a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Make a wide well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Add in the following order, without mixing, the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. With a large wire whisk, beat until smooth. Mix in coffee. Set aside.
• Gently pour the batter into the pans. Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees F, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Cool completely.
• For the frosting: Chop the chocolate and melt with a double boiler. Cool to room temperature.
• Beat the butter until light yellow and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla. Gradually add the sugar. Dissolve the coffee in 2 t hot water. Add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture until blended. Do not whip! Spread immediately on cooled cake. Top with candied orange.

ORANGE-CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Zest orange with a microplane, add to heavy cream and place it into the sauce pan.
• Heat the cream in a sauce pan over medium heat stirring constantly untill it comes to a boil. take off heat.
• add hot cream to chocolate in a medium bowl, stirring untill all chocolate has melted, add butter at once, and stir untill melted.
• chill untill thickened to spread on cakes, brownies, or cupcakes. pour over cakes or dip cupcakes while still liquid. chill untill firm.

DARK CHOCOLATE & ORANGE CAKE

Steps:

• Pierce the orange with a skewer (right through). Cook in boiling water for 30 minutes until soft. Whizz the whole orange in a food processor until smooth; let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C.Grease and line the base of a 23cm/9in round cake tin. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave for 2 minutes on High, stirring after 1 minute. Let cool.
• In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs, sugar and oil. Gradually beat in the puréed orange, discarding any pips, then stir in the cooled melted chocolate. Sift in the cocoa, flour and baking powder. Mix well and pour into the tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 55 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the middle. (Check after 45 minutes and cover with foil if it is browning too much.) Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the chocolate ganache: put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate. Leave for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Set aside until firm enough to spread over the cake - up to 1½ hours.
• Transfer the cake to a serving plate. Using a palette knife, swirl the ganache over the top. Decorate with strips of candied orange peel.